Original U.S. run: March 19, 1990 – March 7, 1991
Overall episodes: #0747–#0993
Number of episodes: 247
This one is unambiguous: the official B&B archive lists 247 episodes, from S4 E1 / #0747, March 19, 1990, through S4 E247 / #0993, March 7, 1991. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Official cast photo
The first photograph above is particularly useful for Season 4: it is identified as a 1990 B&B cast portrait. The ensemble had changed considerably from the original 1987 cast, with the Spectra family now firmly established and characters such as Taylor Hayes and Jake Maclaine joining during the season.
Complete principal and recurring cast
| Character | Actor(s) during Season 4 | Role in Season 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Forrester | John McCook | Leaves Stephanie, fathers Brooke’s baby and eventually marries Brooke |
| Stephanie Douglas Forrester | Susan Flannery | Loses Eric and struggles with the collapse of her family |
| Ridge Forrester | Ronn Moss | Loses Caroline, grieves her death and grows closer to Taylor |
| Thorne Forrester | Jeff Trachta | Falls in love with and marries Macy |
| Felicia Forrester | Colleen Dion | Becomes romantically involved with Jake |
| Caroline Spencer Forrester | Joanna Johnson | Diagnosed with leukemia and dies in July 1990 |
| Brooke Logan | Katherine Kelly Lang | Pregnant with Eric’s child; gives birth to Eric Jr. and marries Eric |
| Donna Logan | Carrie Mitchum | Competes with Macy for Thorne and later becomes involved in Jake’s orbit |
| Katie Logan | Nancy Sloan | Logan sister; supporting presence early in the season |
| Beth Logan | Nancy Burnett | Devastated by Brooke’s relationship with Eric |
| Storm Logan | Brian Patrick Clarke | Returns with a new portrayer; romances Taylor |
| Bill Spencer Sr. | Jim Storm | Caroline’s father; devastated by her illness and death |
| Margo Maclaine Lynley Spencer | Lauren Koslow | Bill’s wife, Mark’s mother and Jake’s estranged sister |
| Mark Maclaine | child performers | Margo and Clarke’s young son |
| Clarke Garrison | Daniel McVicar | Divorces Kristen, becomes involved with Sally and has an affair with Julie |
| Sally Spectra | Darlene Conley | Spectra matriarch; her relationship with Clarke dominates much of her year |
| Macy Alexander | Bobbie Eakes | Sally’s daughter; falls deeply in love with Thorne and marries him |
| Darla Einstein | Schae Harrison | Sally’s assistant and confidante |
| Saul Feinberg | Michael Fox | Spectra’s loyal tailor and Sally’s friend |
| Jake Maclaine | Todd McKee | Margo’s younger brother; romances Felicia and confronts traumatic childhood memories |
| Dr. Taylor Hayes | Hunter Tylo / Sherilyn Wolter (temporary) | Caroline’s doctor; becomes close to Ridge and is also courted by Storm |
| Julie DeLorean | Jane A. Rogers | Journalist/writer who becomes Clarke’s lover |
| Pierre Jourdan | Robert Clary | Brooke’s friend and confidant in Paris |
| Ben Maclaine | John Brandon | Jake and Margo’s father |
| Helen Maclaine | Tippi Hedren | Jake and Margo’s mother |
| Charlie Maclaine | Chuck Walling | Jake’s uncle; central to the revelation of Jake’s childhood sexual abuse |
| Lt. Burke | Chuck Walling | Police/investigative supporting character |
| Conway Weston | Jerry Ayres | Private investigator |
| Maria Martinez | Rita Gomez | Forrester household employee/supporting character |
| Tommy Bayland | Tim Choate | Photographer appearing during the early part of the season |
The major newcomers are especially well documented. Taylor Hayes debuts June 6, 1990 in Episode #0804, while Jake Maclaine, Julie DeLorean, Ben and Helen Maclaine all belong to the 1990 intake. (The Bold and the Beautiful) Brian Patrick Clarke also takes over the role of Storm Logan for the 1990–91 period. (Base Archive)
Major plots
Brooke is pregnant — and Eric is the father
Season 4 begins with one of the show’s biggest early twists. On March 20, 1990, Brooke discovers she is pregnant. She initially keeps the pregnancy secret and even considers an abortion while in Paris. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
The father is Eric Forrester, not Ridge.
As the truth gradually emerges, Ridge and Caroline work it out, Thorne learns about it, and Stephanie eventually discovers that the younger woman who has destroyed her marriage is Brooke.
Eric proposes to Brooke on April 13, 1990 (#0766). (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Stephanie desperately tries to prevent Eric from obtaining a divorce. The conflict becomes one of the defining stories of the season: Stephanie vs. Brooke, with Eric caught between his old family and the new one he wants to create.
Caroline is diagnosed with leukemia
At the same time, Caroline begins experiencing troubling symptoms.
Her medical tests eventually reveal that she has leukemia. Her doctor is a new character, Dr. Taylor Hayes, who first appears on June 6, 1990. (IMDB)
Caroline initially hides the truth from Ridge because she does not want him to spend their remaining time together treating her like a dying woman.
Brooke eventually realizes the seriousness of Caroline’s condition and argues that Ridge deserves to know. By late June, Brooke and Taylor finally tell him.
Caroline dies
The storyline reaches its devastating conclusion on July 18, 1990 — Season 4, Episode 88 / #0834.
Caroline gathers the people she loves for a final party. She dances with Thorne, becomes weak, and Ridge carries her upstairs.
Knowing she is dying, Caroline asks Ridge to consider Brooke after she is gone.
Caroline dies in Ridge’s arms. The official B&B archive specifically includes the episode in its Dearly Departed collection. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
It is one of the first truly permanent deaths of a central original B&B character.
Ridge’s grief — and the beginning of Ridge and Taylor
Caroline’s death fundamentally changes Ridge.
He retreats to the family cabin and struggles with grief. Brooke tries to comfort him, partly because Caroline specifically asked her to look after him.
But another woman is increasingly important to Ridge: Taylor Hayes.
Taylor had been Caroline’s doctor and understands both her illness and Ridge’s grief. Their friendship gradually becomes emotionally charged.
By the season finale period, Ridge is openly attracted to Taylor. On March 5, 1991, he asks her to accompany him to Europe and kisses her passionately. (TheTVDB)
Thus Season 4 plants the seeds of what will become the show’s other defining romantic triangle:
Ridge – Brooke – Taylor.
Thorne and Macy
Thorne and Macy’s relationship becomes increasingly serious despite the hostility between their families.
Stephanie and Ridge dislike Sally and distrust the Spectras. Sally, meanwhile, desperately wants her daughter to be happy.
On September 18, 1990, Thorne asks Sally for Macy’s hand in marriage. The following day he announces the engagement to his family. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
The Forresters initially resist the union, but Thorne refuses to abandon Macy.
They finally marry in October.
The Forresters vs. the Spectras
Season 4 turns the Forrester–Spectra rivalry into a major pillar of the series.
Sally’s determination to compete with Forrester Creations leads to schemes, stolen fashion information and even an arrest for industrial espionage. Stephanie and Ridge have Sally arrested in October 1990. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
At the same time, Sally’s personal life is a disaster.
Sally and Clarke’s disastrous relationship
Clarke agrees to marry Sally — but largely for financial and professional reasons.
Their planned wedding on June 22, 1990 (#0816) spectacularly falls apart when Sally stops the ceremony herself. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Clarke persuades her to reconsider, but his behavior only gets worse. He becomes involved with journalist Julie DeLorean, while continuing to manipulate Sally and Spectra Fashions.
The Sally–Clarke relationship combines comedy, sex, betrayal and fashion-industry rivalry and becomes one of Season 4’s largest secondary plots.
Jake Maclaine and Felicia
Jake Maclaine, Margo’s younger brother, becomes involved with Felicia Forrester.
But Jake is carrying severe psychological trauma. He left home as a teenager and initially believes his father Ben sexually abused him.
The storyline gradually reconstructs Jake’s memories.
He eventually realizes that the perpetrator was actually his uncle Charlie Maclaine, not Ben. Jake confronts his family and begins the painful process of understanding what happened to him.
The official episode archive now places content warnings on these episodes because of their discussions of childhood sexual abuse. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
This was an unusually direct storyline for daytime television in 1990–91.
Stephanie’s collapse
After losing Eric, Stephanie becomes increasingly unstable.
She cannot accept Eric’s marriage to Brooke and begins behaving erratically. By early 1991, she effectively disappears from her normal life.
Sally eventually encounters Stephanie living in a dramatically reduced state and tries to tell Eric, but he does not believe her. On March 4, 1991, Sally tells Eric she has seen Stephanie “acting like a bum,” while the police still believe Stephanie is simply away. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
This leads directly into Season 5.
Births
Eric “Rick” Forrester Jr.
Born November 1990
Parents: Brooke Logan and Eric Forrester
This is the major birth of Season 4.
The official B&B birth archive places the immediate post-delivery episode at S4 E166 / #0912, November 7, 1990: Brooke discusses Stephanie’s help during labor, and Ridge tells Eric that he has another son. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
He is originally named Eric Forrester Jr., although he will become universally known as Rick.
Season 4 live births: 1 — Rick Forrester.
Marriages
Thorne Forrester & Macy Alexander
October 1990 — wedding episode #0899
After enormous opposition from both families, Thorne and Macy proceed with their wedding. Sally surprises Macy with her gown; Ridge initially refuses to serve as best man, and Saul steps in. Eric and Ridge ultimately decide to attend, and Stephanie also appears at the chapel. The official archive places this wedding sequence in S4 E153 / #0899, October 19, 1990. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
This is Thorne and Macy’s first marriage.
Eric Forrester & Brooke Logan
January 1991 — Episodes #0951–#0952
After months of fighting Stephanie over the divorce, Eric finally marries Brooke.
The ceremony begins in #0951 on January 7, 1991. Stephanie attends and puts on a brave face despite her devastation. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
In #0952 on January 8, the official archive explicitly describes Brooke and Eric as married, leaving the ceremony by hot-air balloon. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Therefore:
Completed major marriages: 2
- Thorne Forrester & Macy Alexander
- Eric Forrester & Brooke Logan
Clarke Garrison & Sally Spectra — attempted, but NOT completed
Their June 22 ceremony must not be counted as a marriage. Sally calls it off during the wedding ceremony. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Deaths
Caroline Spencer Forrester
July 18, 1990 — Episode #0834
Cause: leukemia
Caroline is unquestionably the major death of Season 4.
After learning that her illness is terminal, she tries to prepare Ridge and the people around her for life without her. At her final gathering, she dances with Thorne before becoming weak.
Ridge takes her upstairs, where she tells him that she wants Brooke to be there for him after her death.
Caroline then dies with Ridge beside her. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Her death is particularly significant historically because Caroline was one of the show’s original March 1987 central characters. Unlike many later soap deaths, this was intended as a genuine permanent exit; Joanna Johnson would later return as Caroline’s identical twin sister Karen Spencer, rather than undoing Caroline’s death.
Major on-screen deaths during Season 4: 1 — Caroline Spencer Forrester.
Season 4 at a glance
| Season 4 | |
|---|---|
| Original run | March 19, 1990 – March 7, 1991 |
| Episodes | 247 |
| Overall episode numbers | #0747–#0993 |
| Major birth | Rick Forrester — November 1990 |
| Major marriages | Thorne & Macy; Eric & Brooke |
| Attempted wedding | Clarke & Sally — aborted |
| Major death | Caroline Spencer Forrester — July 18, 1990 |
| Major new character | Dr. Taylor Hayes — June 6, 1990 |
| Other important newcomers | Jake Maclaine, Julie DeLorean, Ben and Helen Maclaine |
Season 4 is arguably the first great generational reset of The Bold and the Beautiful. Caroline’s death ends the original Ridge–Caroline era; Brooke gives birth to Eric’s son and becomes Mrs. Eric Forrester; Thorne marries Macy, permanently linking the Forresters and Spectras; Stephanie’s world collapses; Jake’s childhood-abuse storyline introduces unusually dark material; and Taylor Hayes enters the series, beginning the transition from the original Ridge–Caroline–Brooke triangle to the much longer-running Ridge–Brooke–Taylor triangle. The official B&B synopsis itself centers the season on Brooke’s pregnancy, Caroline’s terminal diagnosis and the devastating consequences for the Forrester family. (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Jackson Dynasty 